A silica nanoparticle-based dual-responsive ratiometric probe for visualizing hypochlorite and temperature with distinct fluorescence signals.

Hypochlorite (ClO − ) and temperature play crucial roles in a wide range of physiological processes, and they are also implicated in various diseases, including cancer, inflammation of tissues and so on. Therefore, it is of great importance to explore a novel method to detect ClO − and temperature instantly. In this study, we developed a silica nanoparticle-based dual-responsive ratiometric fluorescent sensor (DRFS), whose correlative dual emissions can response to ClO − and temperature independently and sensitively. The detection limit of DRFS can reach to as low as 26 nM for the detection of ClO − . And further research demonstrates that DRFS possesses excellent anti-interference feature when other possible interferents exist, and has been successfully applied in ClO − detection in human serum and recognition of exogenous/endogenous ClO − in HeLa cells and macrophages by fluorescence microscopic imaging. Moreover, DRFS can also be used as a ratiometric temperature sensor, and the fluorescence intensity ratio (I 576 /I 445 ) exhibits a linear temperature response in the range from 20 to 60 °C with a change ratio as large as a factor of 5. Based on the above research, the DRFS can be used as versatile fluorescence sensor in various physiological and environmental systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]